Pippa Middleton to paparazzi: Back off
The world first noticed Pippa Middleton when her sister, Kate, married Prince William last April.
Pippa found herself launched into the global celebrity stratosphere in an instant, and quickly became known as "her royal hotness" after coming close to upstaging the bride in her form-fitting dress.
Pippa's been hounded by paparazzi ever since, and has gotten so fed up with all those photographers she's turned to lawyers who represent royal family interests.
And the attorneys, acting on her behalf, have issued a stern warning letter to photographers and agencies telling them to back off -- that their behavior constitutes harassment. And the lawyers are threatening lawsuits if it continues.
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But a photographer at one of the agencies, who didn't want to be identified, says the threats won't really change things, as long as Pippa is on public property.
Majesty magazine editor Ingrid Seward says every time Pippa walks outside her home, there are ten or 12 photographers waiting to get a shot of her, and she's very upset about it.
After all, friends say she's not the one who chose to marry into the royal family. And, unlike Catherine, she's not afforded a ring of security, or the added privacy that comes with it.
Back when Catherine was plain old Kate, she was hounded, too, and called in the same lawyers to order the paparazzi to back off.
Now, Pippa wears the crown as the most harassed Middleton.
At an ongoing inquiry into media ethics, the picture editor of Britain's Daily Mail newspaper said he's inundated with offers of the latest Pippa snaps. "She goes to get a coffee or she goes back into her house, you get about 3- to 400 pictures on that a day," said Paul Silva. "There's no need for it. There's no reason to use them. There's no justification for using them."
There may not be a need, but there's certainly an appetite.
If you know where to look, you can find Pippa bundling up, popping out for a bite, shopping, whatever.
Her lawyers say she's taken it in her stride, but now she's acted "out of desperation" after serious stress and anxiety at the relentless pursuit.
CBS News royals contributor Victoria Arbiter calls Pippa "the next best thing to Kate" for the paparazzi, and noted to "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King that Pippa can't go at the photographers too hard, since she's got a book coming out soon and will want publicity when the time comes.
